As the playoffs become Head coach real estate and the heat rises Billy Napier in Florida, Indiana is taking advantage of an opportunity to bring clarity to the College Football Playoff bubble.

With playoff long shots Kansas State, LSU and Missouri gone, Brigham Young’s loss to Kansas made it increasingly likely that the Big 12 will end up as a one-bid league.

No. 1 Oregon reaffirmed its Big Ten bona fides by winning despite scoring just 16 points.

As the conference commissioners prepare to work the propaganda circuit, with CFP selection day less than three weeks away, here’s what’s on my mind after week 12:

Are Deion Sanders and Colorado real?

THE Buffaloes are real and Travis Hunter is spectacular.

A reminder: Colorado won a stinking game the season before hiring Deion Sanders. Only Coach Prime’s most loyal acolytes could have imagined that Colorado (8-2) would be knocking on the playoff door in its second season.

Handoff additions unlocked needed improvements on the lines of scrimmage.

No one will confuse Colorado with 2021 Georgia, but quarterback Shedeur Sanders at least has better pass protection than last season, and the defensive line doesn’t invite running backs to navigate the pass.

Hunter’s myriad talents are an ace up his sleeve.

Colorado’s 49-24 loss to Utah seemed important to me, not because the Utes are a quality opponent — they’ve now lost six in a row — but because Kyle Whittingham’s program means everything Colorado lacked last season.

Wittingham built the Utes’ brand on stability and toughness, while Prime’s Buffaloes had a reputation for being all mouth and no pants, even as the wins piled up this season. Well, Colorado suited up to professionally destroy what had been the best defense in the Big 12.

Pair Shedeur Sanders’ abilities with talented receivers and that elevates Colorado’s floor, but it’s not flag football. A team needs a level of skill at the line of scrimmage, and Colorado has improved enough in those areas to be able to whip an opponent to the basket.

“We’re coming,” Deion Sanders said afterward, “and we’re not there yet.”

That’s right, still not there as a national championship contender, but almost there as king of the Big 12’s slippery hill.

CALM YOURSELF: The five biggest overreactions of week 12

RE-CLASSIFY: Alabama advances among SEC teams in NCAA 1-134

How much did Tennessee hurt its CFP chances with the Georgia loss?

GOOD, Tennessee loses 31-17 in Athens certainly didn’t help. Tennessee wasn’t eliminated, so that’s something, but in a logjam of SEC contenders in which the playoffs could only accommodate four qualifiers, the Volunteers just don’t overwhelm the evaluators with resumes or eye exams.

Georgia didn’t take a two-point lead until late in the fourth quarter, but the Vols legitimized their concerns about the limitations of their offense, and the defense that had carried Tennessee to that point was came out moaning.

If the playoffs started today, the Vols would be hard-pressed to find a perch, and they have no chance of adding another marquee victory.

This is the bad news for Tennessee.

The good news: The playoffs don’t start today and Tennessee wouldn’t need another victory if they were to host a little help in the next two weeks.

Start by beating Texas-El Paso and Vanderbilt. This is not negotiable. Then couple that with Florida upsetting Mississippi.

Or, Notre Dame loses to either Army or Southern California.

Or, Penn State loses to Minnesota or Maryland.

Or, Ohio State bludgeons Indiana.

Or SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey changes the playoff format between now and December to create even more spots for his conference. I’m kidding about that last suggestion, but you get the idea.

Tennessee lost control of its playoff destination by weakening against Georgia, but it remains hopeful.

NOTICE: Penn State enjoys a sweet spot in the CFP, playing chess against Ohio State Checkers

How murky is the SEC Championship Game?

Not that cloudy. Follow him.

If Texas A&M and Texas win their games against Auburn and Kentucky, respectively, on Saturday, that creates additional clarity. In that case, the Thanksgiving weekend game between Texas and Texas A&M would determine one spot in the SEC Championship Game, while Alabama would be first in line for the other spot in Atlanta.

If the Aggies and Longhorns everyone finds defeats before the SEC championship, which puts Georgia in the spotlight alongside Alabama.

Ole Miss and Tennessee are the two-loss SEC teams least likely to reach Atlanta. In the case of the Rebels, this counts as a blessing. They’ll likely be in the playoffs if they get to 10-2, so why risk a loss in Atlanta?

Should we take Dabo Swinney’s CFP speech seriously?

One of the great things about our country is that you can say somewhat stupid things that you don’t even know if you believe them yourself, without exposing yourself to great retaliation beyond a little of mockery.

I give you Dabo Swinney.

After Clemson pulled off an improbable escape in a 24-20 victory over Pittsburgh, a reporter asked Swinney about Clemson’s playoff case. Presumably, that meant an at-large selection for the playoffs, because if Clemson won the ACC, that would solidify a spot.

Swinney responded with a rambling response it came down to: Sure, why not?

“We’re 8-2. It’s hard to win,” Swinney said. “We are undefeated on the road. … We had a fucking loss in this league.

Plus, a blowout non-conference defeat at the hands of Georgia, which has two losses of its own.

Oh, and that league loss came at home to middling Louisville. Clemson laid an egg. This result, more than the loss against Georgia, has pushed Clemson into a corner, and there is no other way out than the ACC championship. Clemson could use some help to get there.

SMU and Miami are ahead of Clemson in the ACC standings, and while I doubt the committee will take two ACC teams, I know there won’t be room for three. The three-loss Pitt team now registers as Clemson’s best win.

“We’re in the fight,” Swinney said. “That’s all you can ask for.”

Unless SMU or Miami stumble, Clemson will watch the fight for ACC supremacy while blaming itself for losing to Louisville.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @btopppmeyer. Subscribe to read all his columns.

This article was originally published on USA TODAY: Deion Sanders and Colorado make CFP statement with Utah dominance